What does exit mean?
"Exit" serves English both as a noun and a verb, centring on the idea of going out or departing. As a noun, it most commonly denotes a physical way out of a building, room, or vehicle — the marked doors in a theatre, the numbered off-ramps of a motorway — but it also names the act of leaving itself, whether a guest's quiet withdrawal or a company's sale of a stake known as an "exit strategy". As a verb it means simply to go out or leave, and in computing it is the standard command for closing a program. The word carries a neutral, often briskly practical tone, though phrases like "made a hasty exit" can hint at embarrassment or reluctance. Derived directly from Latin, where exit literally means "he or she goes out", it preserves in modern usage a small living fragment of classical grammar.
A door, gate, or passage by which one leaves a place.
"The emergency exit was blocked by stacked boxes."
The act of leaving or departing.
"His exit from the meeting went almost unnoticed."
To go out of or leave a place; also, to terminate a program or process.
"Passengers should exit through the rear doors."
A numbered slip road by which traffic leaves a motorway or highway (chiefly North American).
"We missed our exit and had to turn around."
Standard plural; commonly used of multiple doors, ramps, or departures.
"All exits are clearly signposted in green."
"Exit" is literally Latin for "he or she goes out" — which is why old plays stage-direction multiple leavers with "exeunt."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exit
"Exit" comes straight from Latin exit, the third-person singular present of exire ('to go out'), formed from ex- ('out of') plus ire ('to go'). English adopted it in the theatrical sense — a stage direction meaning 'he/she leaves' — in the late sixteenth century, and extended it to general doors and departures thereafter. The same Latin verb ire lies behind a wide family of English words, including transit, transient, issue, and ambition (from ad + ire, 'to go toward'). The plural Latin form exeunt ('they go out') survives as a stage direction for multiple departing characters.
Related word forms
How exit is actually used
In theatre scripts, 'exit' is used as a stage direction for one character leaving and 'exeunt' for two or more; this is one of the few places English preserves a fully Latinate imperative in everyday print. As a verb, 'exit' is somewhat more formal or technical than everyday alternatives like 'leave' or 'go out'. In North American usage, an 'exit' routinely refers to a numbered highway off-ramp.
Easily confused with exit
'Exist' means to be real or alive, while 'exit' refers to leaving or a way out; the two differ only slightly in spelling but entirely in meaning.